We, Dyed by the Sun
by Polyphonic.Colours
Summary: In a world where violence is the norm for too many, three orphans find solace together. [SI/OC]
1. I

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I'm just borrowing the world and its characters.

* * *

 **I**

Born three months before the Kyuubi attack, Namine Rie doesn't know her birth parents. She has no recollection of their warmth or their scent. She can't piece their features together no matter how many times the caretakers of the orphanage patiently explain their looks to her—even when they remind her that she looks just like her mother. All she knows are facts and second-hand information. Satou Hikari was a chunin with waist-length black hair and dark blue eyes. Namine Shin was a jonin with messy brown hair and matching eyes. Her mother, her father. One had a cheery deposition while the other was incredibly serious…but to what degree? Nobody can tell Rie exactly how her parents were. All they can do is just relay what they know—biased knowledge, and from the information she collects, Rie narrows down the similarities to draw out acceptable answers.

"Rie-chan! Rie-chan! Do you want to play?"

Looking up from her book, Rie discovers an excited Akio looking at her expectantly. He is six, which makes him two years older than her, and a second-year academy student with a lot of friends inside and outside of the orphanage. Though, despite the age gap and the surplus of friends, he never fails to find her and ask that very same question. Shaking her head, Rie rejects his invitation. It's the answer she never fails to give but Akio doesn't give up. He can't give up, even with all the other children at the orphanage telling to do so.

The blond boy's cheeks begin puff up into a pout, but he soon sighs and brightens up again seconds later. "Okay then, I'll just stay here with you, Rie-chan! What are you reading?" He sits on the ground beside her.

It's a break from their usual routine and Rie's childish visage portrays her confusion. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" Akio's eyebrows furrow. "Isn't it obvious?"

The little girl shakes her head, the waterfall of straight black hair swishing with her movements.

"Silly Rie-chan, I want to be friends!"

A pleasant warmth blooms inside her stomach before she swiftly squashes it down. Rie cannot allow that feeling to appear. She cannot allow herself to grasp at happiness and hope for she would only lose it again in the future.

"No," she shakes her head, slightly narrowed blue eyes completing her stern expression. "We can't be friends."

"Ehhhh, why?" Panic flares up within Akio's being as he waits for an answer. Did the other children tell her to stay away from him? The adults wouldn't do something like that, right? It's the other children! They shouldn't have done that, especially since he's been working so hard up until now just so he can—

"Because, happiness is something I cannot know."

And, all the little boy can do is just sit there, watching the younger girl stand up before leaving him alone. He doesn't know what to make of her words. He doesn't understand how her eyes can be so full of sadness—like two pools of eternal sorrow. But, the one thing he is sure of is that he won't be giving up no matter the amount of times Rie rejects him, be it in double, triple, quadruple or more digits. As orphans, they have no one but each other yet Rie won't even accept them into her life. Akio cannot agree with that. He doesn't like how cold and closed-off Rie is. He doesn't like how it feels like she is an adult trapped in a child's body. Akio will not allow Rie to shroud herself with solitude because being alone is the scariest thing ever.

.

.

.

Days grow into weeks that soon become months and Akio has yet to succeed in convincing Rei to provide him a chance. Though, the little girl hasn't exactly scorned him either. Rie has no need for hatred or contempt, not when she doesn't allow herself happiness and all those positive feelings people should experience. The caretakers at the orphanage are also steadily voicing out their concerns for her silence and solitude, but Rie pays them no heed. She will turn five in a month and will therefore, be eligible to enrol into the Academy (the orphans are all provided with a fair chance) should she wish to do so. If she becomes a legitimate genin, she would technically become an adult and can move out of her present home, no questions asked. However, if she fails…she would have to remain until she can obtain better lodgings and a steady pay.

"Are you going to be a shinobi, Rie-chan?" Akio asks. Rie had refused to play koi-koi with him more than thirty minutes ago and he has been walking with her through Konoha since then, doing his best to keep his attention on the quiet girl beside him despite wanting to stop on multiple occasions to check out some stores.

"Mmm…" Rie pauses from her book. "Maybe."

Indefinite as her answer is, Akio still beams because his plan is working. Rie is answering more of his questions—she's speaking to him more and more! In his excitement, he launches off into the many possibilities that could occur, along with his own experiences in the Academy. He talks about his classes and classmates, the instructors and the possible job choices for a shinobi. Rie pays half her attention to him, though she's trying not to do so at all. She has long realised that she likes Akio's persistence and insistence in befriending her, and that she is now used to his presence. However, that doesn't mean that she will give in into temptation. Her resolution to remain by herself still stands…even if it has crumbled a slight bit.

The new book in Rie has been reading flies out of her hands as she finds herself on the ground after being run into by someone else.

"AHH, I'M SORRY!"

The loud voice bellows, its owner not realizing that their close range would perhaps leave Rie deaf. Wincing, she is about to wave the apology off when Akio's following words causes both her and the other person to freeze.

"Watch where you're going, demon!"

Demon. _Demon_. The boy who had run into her is none other than Uzumaki Naruto. Rie isn't sure if Akio knows that Naruto is the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki (not that it's difficult to put together or that it's a tight-lipped secret) or that he is only obeying the words passed down to him, but she no longer finds him as likeable as she previously did.

"I'm not a demon, 'ttebayo!" Naruto counters, visibly angry but Rie can see that he's hurt. The son of the Fourth Hokage (Rie had put that together as easily as she did with him being a jinchuuriki) is lonely. He doesn't know why people shun him and all he longs for is companionship. He isn't an open book to Akio but Rie sees all that he hides within his _brightbrightbright_ blue eyes and all of a sudden, she doesn't find herself agreeing with the idea of him having nothing but sorrows and pain because of something he had no hand in. She can't pinpoint why or the cause of the foreign emotions swirling within her but she knows that she finds his ability to maintain an optimistic outlook and his sunny deposition admirable. (It isn't difficult to cross paths with Konoha's jinchuuriki. His voice is often heard over the other sounds in the streets and his pranks are escalating to legendary status.) So, although she has sworn to allow herself no relationships further than acquaintances, she reaches out and wipes away the dirt on Naruto's cheek, not missing that brief flinch of his while she does so. Her heart clenches at that sight.

"Do you know how to play koi-koi?" Ignoring Akio's sputters of indignation, Rie's hand does not leave Naruto's cheek which is steadily growing red beneath her touch.

"Huh?" Confused sky blue eyes gaze into her dark blue ones.

"Koi-koi, do you know how to play? I'll teach you."

Rie knows that she will regret her actions. Just by looking at the jinchuuriki boy, she foretells that her already-soft resolution will crumble down until she finally gives in. He is stubborn and set in his ways—much like Akio. However, she cannot leave Naruto alone either. Should Akio wish to stay, he will need to make room for another orphan, another child who has lost his family to the Kyuubi attack.

.

.

.

When Rie turns five, enrolments for the Academy have already begun and today will only be _her_ very first day as an Academy student since Naruto had already joined a year earlier. White fluffs drift down from the heavens and snow crunches beneath her shoes. By her sides are two blond boys, one taller with emerald-green irises, the other shorter with whisker-like markings on his cheeks. She walks towards the building filled with children and adults, swinging her hands that hold onto one of each boys'. She doesn't care for the judgemental or apprehensive looks. She only grasps Naruto's hand tighter so he is assured that she will never abandon him.

Within the single month she has spent with Naruto so far, Rie has learnt of the reasons why she cannot shun herself away from him. She has learnt why Naruto is a beautiful child—so much different from Akio and even more from herself. He isn't tainted in sorrows so dark and possessive. He isn't just a boy who believes that everyone deserves chances and happiness. No, Naruto has the sun within him. Naruto is bright and beautiful. He is orange and yellow and that isn't in the most literal sense since the boy's hair is the latter and he sometimes wears clothes with hints or is entirely of the former.

Naruto is fire, burning bright and passionate. He cannot be tamed, he is overwhelming but he is also loyal. He brings warmth for those who seek it—whether knowingly or not, and consumes them so they see goodness and positivity. Then, he illuminates paths previously hidden and sets the people he is helping towards a greater future.

What Rie has foretold in the past is now reality. With each passing day, her resolution crumbles and breaks. Naruto's fire feeds Akio's initially reluctant embers and together, they almost forcefully burn away her shadows. Nevertheless, Rie is still scared of happiness. She is fearful of hope. The boys' sway over her is frightening but she doesn't put out their flames. She already has a taste of those wonderful emotions and she doesn't want to let them go. Rie wants more, even when logic tells her she shouldn't. Though, she counters by reminding logic that the future is something she cannot control. No matter her choices, she will still lose or gain something. So, if she loses Naruto and Akio through wrong choices, she will mourn and weep because it's her fault for allowing them to invade her sheltered home. But, that is the future and now is the present.

Akio parts from the black-haired girl and the jinchuuriki at the entrance of the former's classroom (the latter's is just next door), telling them that he will come and get them during recess so they can eat together. He knows that being together with Naruto might cause Rie to be shunned as well but he is fine with that because they won't be alone anymore. Within the short amount of time spent together, the three of them have grown so close together that it's difficult to find any of them without each other's company anymore. At first, Akio had been reluctant to let Naruto join them. He had been jealous of how Naruto bonded and brought Rie out of her solitude quicker than he himself ever could. Most of all, he had been afraid that Rie would abandon him for the other blond boy. For more than a year he tried to befriend the girl, only for someone else to swoop in the moment rough waves began to calm. Now, though. Now, is different. He has realized what Rie realized and he witnesses sorrow steadily release its clutches on Rie. Rie is no longer as cold or as closed-off, and Naruto has become irreplaceable. Nobody is allowed to call the younger blond boy a demon or any derogatory term whatsoever in their presence. Nobody is allowed to treat Naruto less than a human. The three of them have each other and their friendship is worth more than a million flimsy ones. They are brothers and sister to each other.

They are family.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello! This is my first attempt in writing a _Naruto_ fanfic and it's been sitting in my folder for exactly two years today. I figured that if I posted it here, I'd at least be able to motivate myself into finally choosing a direction for this fic. What I've been certain since the beginning is that this is a subtle SI/OC fic about friendship and family. I'm not sure if I want Rie to (in)directly influence the canon, but I guess I'll figure that out later? Feel free to share your thoughts on this, though! Also, if there are any mistakes (English isn't my first language), feel free to point them out! Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

PS: Rating might be bumped up in the later chapters cause violence can't really be avoided in _Naruto._


	2. II

**II**

When Akio graduates and becomes an official genin, it becomes difficult for him to meet with Naruto and Rie on a daily basis. He has been moved out of the orphanage and into a standard genin residence. Having to run D-ranks all over Konoha doesn't help the situation either. His teammates, on the other hand, aren't as great as he thought they would be but he tries his best to befriend them—even if he constantly has to be the middleman and soothe tensions between Akiyama Chikako and Wakahisa Eiji. There's also his jonin-sensei, Hisoka Koyanagi. It's been nearly three months but all they know of her is her name, that she is water-natured, a combat specialist and that she likes meat buns. No more, no less. She lives up to her namesake of being reserved, that's for certain.

"Why do you have to be such an _asshole_ , Wakahisa?!" Chikako screeches, trying to slap their red-haired teammate only to have him catch her wrist seconds before it even comes close. The other male says nothing and merely glares at the female. It takes Akio all his willpower to not sigh at the scene he's been witnessing just about every day. He feels like he would sprout white hairs before his team ever makes it to chunin—perhaps even before their turn at the chunin exams considering how their teamwork is still appalling.

'Why can't they be more like Naruto and Rie?' he frowns. The blond boy misses being involved in Naruto's Konoha-wide pranks (which are already of legendary status) and Rie's rambles about the new book she has just finished (he swears that she'd live in a bookshop or the Konoha library if she could). He misses the lunches they share during recess at the Academy and he misses their smiles and laughter. Akio has half a mind to ask Hisoka-sensei to put them on the Tora mission again just so Chikako's fury and Eiji's irritation would be directed at demon-spawn-from-hell instead of each other.

"AKIOOOOOO!"

And, bless the heavens who heard his thoughts because now Akio will have an excuse to leave his teammates. In fact, his day will be better just by being in the presence of his best friends. Spinning around, he automatically beams at Naruto who's waving wildly while running towards him and at Rie who's close behind with yet another book in her arms. He recognizes it as the one he recently bought for her with the share of money he received from completing missions with his team.

"Heeeeeey!" he shouts back while waving. "What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Academy?" he asks once they're standing before him.

"No way!" Naruto exclaims, crossing his arms into an 'X' in front of his chest. "Iruka-sensei's so boring! All he does is talk, talk, talk and nag, nag, nag."

"That's only because you continuously skip classes and ignore him, Naruto-kun," Rie points out and earns herself some indignation from the shorter blond boy, though he soon changes the topic and goes off about whatever events that occurred within the duration between when they last saw each other and now. Akio should lecturer the both of them for skipping classes but instead, smiles. He sees the corners of Rie's mouth curl up as well. This, is one of the main reasons why he wishes his teammates are like his best friends. Naruto, Rie and Akio can never stay mad at each other for long and they would always seek ways to receive the other's forgiveness before the day ends.

Oddly silent, Chikako and Eiji watch the scene unfold before them. The female kunoichi doesn't understand how anyone can stand the presence of the loud-mouthed brat, much less befriend him. Isn't he the cause for the death of the Fourth Hokage and his wife? Isn't he the one that made many into orphans and nearly wiped out Konoha? She doesn't know how he did it but she does know that he's cursed.

'Akio is too soft and nice for his own good,' Chikako decides. Pursing her lips, she turns and walks away. She refuses to stand there any longer. An asshole and a fool for teammates, topped with the presence of a cursed. She feels like she's the only sane person around.

Meanwhile, Eiji isn't as repulsed as the leaving kunoichi is at Naruto's presence. In actuality, he's more curious about how Akio practically radiates happiness and excitement—something he rarely sees when the older blond boy is with their team—at the sight of the younger children. He knows that they're close friends at the Academy; he saw them having lunch together multiple times underneath the same tree on Academy grounds. A few times, he has seen them on the streets of Konoha as well. An odd trio, they are. Then, Eiji notices the black-haired girl tilting her head at him. Her dark blue eyes are filled with some sort of intensity and he involuntarily shivers. He feels like his soul is laid bare before her.

"Would you like to join us for lunch?" she asks him and Eiji is momentarily stunned. He hears confusion from Naruto and he sees it in Akio's slight furrow of eyebrows. The red-haired genin isn't the only one who's puzzled. Slowly, he nods, unsure if he should even reject the offer in the first place and soon, the four of them are sitting at Ichiraku's with a bowl of steaming ramen in front of them. He doesn't involve himself in the conversation, choosing to watch Akio and Naruto interact (in the privacy of his mind, he freely admits that he is in awe at hearing the multiple times the younger blond boy has escaped and pranked the ANBU and shinobi of all ranks, especially when the Hokage is also mentioned) until Rie begins to speak with him. They talk about missions and jutsus before finding a common ground in books. He is surprised by the ten-year-old girl's maturity and intelligence, and he finds himself respecting Akio's choices in friends. There is definitely more than meets the eyes when it comes to the two younger children.

At the end of the day, Eiji has a new friend—one that he fully accepts—and that is Namine Rie.

.

.

.

When Naruto and Rie graduate and finally become actual genins, they do their best to continue meeting up with Akio so they can hang out as a trio despite the decreasing chances. Naruto has adopted the attention-grabbing orange jumpsuit which suits his energetic personality while Rie dresses in a sky-blue battle yukata that brings out her eyes. Akio still wears his plain khaki pants and black shirt but that is only because he believes that he's the only sensible one in terms of dressing (even after he found out that Rie's yukata is useful in terms of carrying concealed items after she showed him the hidden pockets she had sown on to carry medicine, herbs and poisons on her person).

Today, the three of them are departing from Konoha, each sent on their own C-ranked mission with their respective teams. Rie's team will be supressing the sudden surplus of poisonous snakes around the forests of Konoha, Akio's team will be escorting a merchant and his family back to his village within the Land of Fire, and Naruto's team will also be escorting someone, though it is to the Land of Waves instead.

"This is going to be awesome, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaims to Akio and Rie, bouncing with excitement as he waits for Kakashi-sensei to finally arrive. Both Sasuke and Sakura are observing them from their spot near the stinky drunkard of an old man while Rie's team hasn't arrived. Chikako, on the other hand, is sullenly kicking up some dirt at their opposite. She isn't pleased that Eiji greeted Rie and Naruto without his usual assholery—the nerve of him! The both of them aren't even his teammates and yet they are received with a politeness that should've been given to Chikako?!

"You haven't been out of the gates before?" Eiji quirks an eyebrow. He knows that in order to promote teamwork, genin teams usually run D-ranks when they start out but to only do them for an entire month? Team Seven's cooperation has to be more abysmal than his own team's if that's the case. Team Hisoka had already completed one C-rank—even if it was only an animal/pest control one—on their third week together.

"Yeah! I'm so excited! There's going to be so much to see, dattebayo!"

"You're lucky that you get to visit other villages," Rie hums. "My team's stuck with snakes."

"I know, right?! I'll tell you everything when I get back, Rie-chan!"

"Oi, oi, you're not going to tell me?" Akio cuts in, pretending to be annoyed at Naruto whose chest is puffed up enough to resemble one of those birds in Rie's books—a prideful peacock, though it's a rather amusing sight considering the towering backpack the shorter blond is carrying.

"Of course I'll tell you too, dattebayo! We can swap stories and everything but mine's gonna be the best!"

"Are you sure? My team's heading to another village too," Akio teases with an easy grin.

"Well, _I'm_ going to another _country_ ," Naruto sticks out his tongue.

"And, I'm stuck here," Rie supplements. "I demand some sort of souvenir from each of you as compensation."

"But, you've already bought five new books yesterday!" Naruto squawks the exact moment Akio rapidly blinks his eyes before gaining a thoughtful expression. "She didn't mention books…"

"Souvenir," Eiji nods. "Some sort of souvenir."

In the background, Naruto continues his protests, recounting the multiple times his precious Gama-chan wasn't as beautifully bloated as it should be whenever Rie somehow manages to convince him to pay for her shopping.

Frowning slightly, the black-haired girl pokes her loud companion. "You use up all my money when we go out for ramen too, you know? It's only fair."

"AH…ah…hahahah…right, Rie-chan."

And before Akio can either voice or act out his disapproval over the careless spending habit of his best friends, a shrill shout cuts in, causing everyone to wince.

"CHIBI-CHAN!"

A whirl of dark colours slams into Rie, driving the air out of her lungs and causing her to lose her footing. Swiftly, both Eiji and Akio react, though the former is quicker than the latter. They loop an arm around Rie's waist to steady her and the new weight on her back.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Akio snaps at the unknown girl with ash-brown hair and mud-brown eyes. "She could've gotten hurt!"

"YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! RIE-CHAN COULD'VE GOTTEN HURT!" Naruto adds.

"Injuries are a part of the shinobi life, asshole," she snaps back, teeth bared through her scowl. "My hugs teach others to always be aware of their surroundings too."

At that, Akio scoffs. "What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Quite logical nonsense, Akio-kun. You'd have to twist it a little, but it's still logical."

Immediately, Team Hisoka stands at attention. They greet their sensei with a respectful bow as she closes the distance between them with another female jonin and a male genin beside her.

"Ah, Hisoka, your team has wonderful manners," Shiroashi, the other female jonin, comments.

"We would too, if not for Azahara," Omori Hatsuharu, the genin, mutters. His soft comment is nearly lost under Koyanagi's louder reply to Shiroashi but Azahara Akira hears it all the same.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, OMORI?"

"Please lower your volume, Azahara-san," Rie sighs. While Akira is loud, she isn't the kind of loud Naruto is—the kind of loud Rie can always forgive. She doesn't have the passion or loyalty that Naruto has. Her claims of helping Rie and Hatsuharu to better themselves are usually lies to cover up her selfish and destructive intentions. Rie knows it's unfair of her to think of her teammate in such manner, but it's also the truth. Akira is smart and her reaction time is the best in their team, but she doesn't really care about them.

"Lecture Omori too, chibi-chan," Akira huffs, turning her nose up into the air. Her arms are crossed in front of her chest and her stance is wide. She knows that Rie won't actually do as she says, but that doesn't matter. As long as the path to her next stepping stone remains smooth—as long as they work well when they should, Akira doesn't care much about what her teammates and her sensei think of her. They won't always be Team Two, after all. Especially since Team Two is traditionally a long-ranged combat team that also specialises in being able to seamlessly integrate with other teams. It's usually tasked with protecting the medics and wounded in wars or to replace missing members and add to the numbers of a team. As Akira's father has told her the moment he learnt that she was to be part of this team, _"Team Two is a team that perhaps best adheres to the Will of Fire. While a team is normally taught that their team is family, Team Two is taught that_ everyone _is family. Thus, it matters not if you know that your fellow Konoha shinobi personally or not, once you're teamed up with them, you must treat and work with them as though they've always been family_."

"Alright, enough you two," Shiroashi frowns at Akira who reluctantly drops her stance, and Hatsuharu who slouches further. Knowing what their sensei would be saying next, Rie's shoulders drop as well.

"Joint training with Team Gai after this mission."

"Yes, sensei…" Team Six answers in various degrees of dejection.

"Good." Then, Shiroashi turns to the other jonin-sensei, "Your clients are approaching."

Koyanagi nods in reply before motioning for her team of genin to gather around her. Meanwhile, Shiroashi addresses Team Seven, "Your sensei will be arriving soon as well."

"EHHHHHH? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT 'TTEBAYO?!" Naruto points accusingly. "ARE YOU IN CAHOOTS WITH HIM?!"

"She sensed his chakra nearby, Naruto-kun," Rie laughs while pushing the blond's raised arm down.

"THAT'S SO COOL!"

"Thank you, Uzumaki-san," Shiroashi smiles before letting him know that he—and by extension, his teammates and every other genin with a jonin sensei—can ask their sensei on how to sense chakra and that with practice their range can be as wide as Konoha or the outposts surrounding their homeland. Her words gain the attention of the remaining Uchiha in Konoha (though he pretends not to be interested in them) and the entirety of Team Hisoka. Shiroashi gives herself an imaginary pat in the back for having gained their interest.

Ignoring Koyanagi's knowing gaze, Shiroashi turns to her genin team and leads them out of the gates. The jonin-sensei of Team two hears Naruto yelling his goodbyes to Rie and Koyanagi's blond genin, Akio telling her to take care of herself in a softer volume. She doesn't need to turn to know that her black-haired genin is waving back in reply.

"You've good friends, Rie-chan."

There's a pause as Rie processes her sensei's unspoken question before she beams. "Ah, they're the reason for my dream."

.

.

.

At a civilian's (or rather, their horse's) pace, the journey from Konoha to Hacho-mura will take at least a week. Team Hisoka and their clients aren't even near the midpoint between the two locations yet but night has fallen and thus, they have to make camp. Both Chikako and Akio are preparing the ingredients of their dinner alongside Nomura Hitomi, the wife of their client while Eiji has been given the duty of starting a fire. Koyanagi, on the other hand, is conversing softly with Nomura Satoshi and his daughter, Kinomi while their stallion is quietly grazing beside them.

"Tou-chan," the little girl murmurs, tugging her father's umanori.

"Yes, Kinomi-chan?" Satoshi looks down with a smile.

"Can I talk to the shinobi with pretty hair?"

"Ah…We wouldn't want to trouble the shinobi more than we already have, Kinomi-chan," Satoshi answers before giving Koyanagi a sheepish smile. He dislikes troubling the shinobi who accept his requests more than he already does because he knows very well that they lead a less than idyllic life. They are exposed to more violence than a normal civilian ever would, and they have done a lot to ensure the peace and safety of their homeland and people.

"It won't be any trouble at all, Nomura-san," Koyanagi smiles before squatting down so Kinomi can meet her gaze more easily. The jonin-sensei had noticed that the little girl spent most of their travel staring at her blond genin so it was clear that 'shinobi with pretty hair' meant him.

"Akio-kun, over there," she points at the aforementioned boy. "Will be very happy to talk with you."

Kinomi stutters out a shy _"U-un!"_ in response before hurrying over to Akio who's pretending not to notice that his sensei had pointed him out to her. He waits for the girl to make the first move and she does so immediately after he hands the aluminium pot of washed rice to Eiji.

"Yes? If there something you need?" he smiles at Kinomi. Her cheeks are flushed and she's shyly meeting his emerald-green eyes. At the corner of his vision, Akio notices the small smirk Eiji is sporting.

"Umm…Onii-san…Do you...Umm…"

'Ah,' Akio thinks, recalling a meeting between an even shyer pale-eyed girl with dark hair and one of his best friends. 'Is this going to be like a NaruHina moment?'

"Do you like stories?" he says instead, trying to make the atmosphere less awkward. It might've been the wrong thing to say since he hear a soft aborted laugh from his male teammate (which he doesn't really understand since Rie and the younger kids he's been around is always enthusiastic about stories) but that question still earns him an excited nod and grin from Kinomi.

"Then, have you heard of the one where a beautiful red kitsune falls in love with a golden dog?"

Kinomi shakes her head.

"Well, since it'll be a while more before everything is cooked…There was once a kitsune who was taken in by a pack of dogs after she lost her home…"

After the final word of the story exits his mouth, Akio who had been enraptured by his retelling of one of Rie's fantastical stories, finally notices that he has captured everyone's attention and that dinner has been ready for consumption for some time already. He scratches a cheek awkwardly, unsure of where to look, much less what to do.

"Thank you for the story!" Kinomi exclaims, allowing Akio to redirect his attention to her. Her brown eyes are bright with delight and there is a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. At that moment, Akio realises that he has gained a talking companion for the rest of their journey. It had gotten a little boring during their travel earlier since he had no one to talk to at his point of their formation, but maybe tomorrow his sensei would allow him to stand at a different point. Maybe his sensei would allow him to tell Kinomi more of Rie's stories. She has the best imagination and is also the most well-read one among the three orphans, after all.

'I should tell her to try and get published,' he thinks. 'Maybe then she'll be spend less of her time being impecunious.'

.

.

.

"Please hurry and kill me."

Naruto knows that death is very common in a shinobi's life—he knows that nearly two people die every second, that a hundred and five die every minute. Rie has expounded many facts upon Naruto ever since their friendship began and even though he still can't comprehend the fact that there are enough people in the world for at least six thousand to die every hour, the simple fact remains. People die.

"Why are you hesitating?"

"Because…" Naruto clenches his hands. He doesn't understand why Haku is only acknowledged for his fighting skills—doesn't understand why he, like that rabbit in Rie's story…

'Like that rabbit.' Naruto's eyes widen. At once, his mind races, drawing parallels between the situation he's in and the story Rie told him multiple times before. In that story, both the water demon and his kind-hearted pet rabbit die. They were no more than pawns in someone else's game and because of the hand fate has dealt them, they die while the hero, his friends and their mentor live. That story had caused much distraught in Naruto while he was younger but as much as he had pleaded, Rie never changed the ending.

"Death isn't the only way!"

Spinning around, Naruto runs for Zabuza, taking advantage of Haku's surprise. He's not as fast as Sasuke. He has no hopes of even being as fast as Haku at his current level, but a few seconds is enough to make a substantial difference in a shinobi's battle. It matters not that he can't see, his sense of smell is better than most and he can smell the strong metallic scent of fresh blood and strangely, a lot of dogs coming from one direction. Naruto is several feet away when he hears the screeching of what sounds like a thousand birds.

"STOP!" he bellows, heart racing faster than his legs. He prays that he doesn't miscalculate—that Rie's story has more truth than fiction, that Sasuke isn't dead and that both Haku and his precious person won't die as well. It's reckless and foolish but Naruto cannot accept that ending. There are more things in life than death—more things to value in a person than strength and he needs both of the Mist shinobi to see that.

 _"When a person has something precious to protect, that is when they can truly become strong_."

A pained howl pierces through the air as more blood is shed. Naruto stares into the wide eyes of his sensei before vomiting another mouthful of blood.

"Sensei…they…aren't the…bad guys," Naruto forces the corners of his mouth to curl up. He reaches up with both hands and holds onto his sensei's arm, trying not to think about how it has gone through his right lung.

'Maybe it's a good thing I'm not so fast,' he thinks hysterically. 'Any faster and it might've my heart—or Zabuza's or Haku's.'

"My future is death?" Zabuza tilts his head, feeling lighter after the dogs that held him down vanished in multiple puffs of smoke. "Heh, you're wrong again Kakashi."

In one swift motion, Kakashi pulls back, narrowly avoiding Zabuza's sword. He holds Naruto close, shaking hands clamping on both sides of his student's body as though it would stem the blood flow. Another one close to him will die by his hands again. Minato and Kushina's son will—No, he has to focus on the enemy. He has to end the battle now and provide Naruto with medical attention. Kakashi won't let another one of his die because of him.

"You're…wrong too," Naruto wheezes. His vision is darkening but he can't allow himself to nod off just yet. He still has words to say. He hasn't yet convinced the water demon and his pet rabbit that they don't have to kill or die. If Rie won't change the ending, he will. He's taken things into his hands and he'll see it until the end.

"He loves…you," Naruto continues, feeling a sudden and odd heat surround his body. He can't see anymore but he hopes that he isn't being burnt alive and that the battle is still at a standstill. "Shinobi…aren't just…tools…"

* * *

 **A/N:** I picked the indirect route as I think it best suits my idea for this story. Also, I've decided to not write scenes that I'm not going to change (like what happens to Team 7 and all when they're travelling to and during most of their stay in the Land of Waves) since well, I'm pretty sure many of us have read the manga (and if not, multiple variations of the same scenes in other _Naruto_ fan-fiction).

Also, if the non-OC characters appear OOC or anything like that, do let me know! I'm trying my best to have them stay in character while also making sure that the skips/shifts don't appear too disjointed, urk.


	3. III

**III**

When Naruto wakes up, he sees a blur of colours with the dominant shades being two different whites—like wall/ceiling-white and pale-skin-white, some light blues and a large splotch of black. At his right, there is someone muttering under their breath in familiar measured cadences. Naruto strains his ears, trying to distinguish the words while rapidly blinking his eyes in effort to focus his vision.

"…to Jashinism so that _none_ of you can die and…"

"Rie?" His best friend's name is all that he manages to force out of his parched throat and mouth before being seized by a coughing fit. The measured cadence is broken by a string of angry inaudible words and through squinted and watering eyes, he sees the named girl directing a straw into his mouth. Grateful, he drinks and finds relief in the cool water going down his throat.

"Akio and Eiji went out to get everyone lunch," she informs with a slight frown. "Your team and sensei are being checked by the medics."

"Sasuke?" he asks once the glass is empty.

"Alive." Rie sets the cup on the small table beside Naruto's hospital bed. She inhales deeply and is about to demand from Naruto the details of his mission because there's no way that his sensei will tell her _everything_ (and she doesn't want to ruin the balance between him and his teammates by threatening and interrogating them), when the blond boy opens his mouth again.

"…The water demon and his rabbit?"

She blinks. "From the story?"

"No—Zabusa and Haku. Are they…are they alive? I jumped into front of Kakashi-sensei's lightning-bird-screeching jutsu and there was a hole in my chest and a hole—shit, I—" Naruto scrambles up, pushing the blanket away so he could see if his wounds are present but there is only smooth tanned skin beneath his hospital tunic.

"…There's…the hole?" his eyebrows furrow in confusion. There's no way that he imagined Kakashi-sensei's hand going through him. He remembers the gag-worthy smell of burnt flesh, the scorching pain and blood forcing itself up his throat. He remember his sensei's wide eyes—one dark grey iris and another with three black tomoe orbiting the pupil.

"I'll put a new goddam hole in you if you ever do something as reckless as that ever again."

Naruto blanches. The few times he heard Rie swear were the times when either Akio (rarely) or he (usually) had, in her words, " _done_ _something completely and utterly idiotic to the point where logic itself committed hara-kiri to preserve honour_ ".

"I swear to the gods, whoever who put us in separate teams should be thrown into a ditch filled with spikes, revived and thrown in again until Monday's no longer part of the week," she continues, building momentum with each new word that exits her mouth. Her blue-eyed blond is visibly cowering under her verbal barrage and there's a part of herself that feels guilty, though she shoves it away just as quick as it appears. She needs to hammer her points across before Naruto does more stupid-should've-ended-in-death things. "You clearly can't take care of yourself—I mean, who the hell launches themselves in front of Copy Ninja Kakashi's goddamn _chidori_?! It's a kill in one hit technique and you could've died, you idiot! You could've died and then—"

"I COULDN'T LET THEM DIE, DATTEBAYO!" Naruto yells. "YOU TOLD ME BEFORE, THEY AREN'T BAD GUYS. THEY JUST GOT DEALT A BAD HAND BY FATE AND IT'S NOT FAIR. NOBODY SHOULD DIE JUST BECAUSE OF THAT. WE AREN'T TOOLS, WE'RE HUMAN AND WE'RE ALIVE AND, AND, AND…"

Roughly, Naruto swipes his face with his sleeves. He's trying not to cry but it really hurts. They aren't pieces in some sick and elaborate game for some all-powerful invisible being. They're more than that. They're more than their strength, more than the hands they've been dealt. They're practically gods themselves with all the amazing things chakra allows them and what's the point of having that when they can't lead the lives they want? Why even give them chakra when things could've been the same with or without it if not for them to have a chance at changing things?

"…I didn't know those stories affected you so much," Rie admits while clenching the skirt of her yukata. She had changed the important details and twisted many facts when she told Naruto and Akio 'stories' of the former's future and the past of many others. The tales weren't meant to affect Naruto so greatly—they were just tales to occupy their abundance of free time while they were younger. No more, no less.

"Of course, you knew!" Naruto frowns hard, subconsciously moving his hands to hold his stomach. His gaze is still pinned to his blanket-covered lap so he doesn't see Rie's flinch. "I kept begging you to change the ending when we were kids but you didn't want to! You said there's no escaping tragedies in real life so there's no escaping them in fiction too!"

The black-haired girl opens her mouth and tries to reply but there are no words. Then, at that moment, the door opens and two boys enter, arms laden with food and drinks.

"We—Did something happen?" Akio frowns while looking at the scene before him. His blond best friend has clearly been crying and there's conflict in Rie's blue eyes.

"I…" Rie chews the bottom of her lip. She can't tell the truth because the perspectives of everyone who knows her will change, and she doesn't want a trip to T&I either. The only thing she wished for when she woke up as Namine Rie is to live a peaceful life with minimal pain and sorrow and tragedy. She made a mistake when she befriended Naruto—built wings made of wax and feathers just so she could fly closer to the sun even though she knew better.

'I told logic to let me be,' she reminded herself. 'I chose to be a shinobi. I chose real events instead of making up fictional ones as the basis of my stories. I chose Naruto and Akio and…'

It's a beautiful mistake.

'I want everything to stay this way.'

With tearing eyes, she forces the corners of her lips to curve up. A lie by omission is still a lie but Rie will do everything to protect herself and her precious people. "I called Naruto an idiot for jumping in front of his sensei's chidori."

"That, he is," Akio immediately scowls. "What were you thinking, you idiot?!"

"THEY DON'T—" Naruto begins yelling again but the older blond cuts him off.

"Good for you for trying to make everyone else see the light but you should _never_ view your life as lesser than theirs."

"I didn't—"

"You did," Eiji interjects softly. "You thought that they deserved second chances and to have a second chance, they need to be alive. It's a valiant thought but Naruto, did your own life cross your mind when you planned and carried out whatever you did to make sure those Mist nin would continue to live?"

Naruto pouts and continues to refuse looking anywhere else but his hands. Those acts are all the confirmation the others need.

"If you were dead, I won't be able to look at everyone involved in your mission" Rie whispers, though it's only her following words that causes Naruto's head to snap up. "I'll probably quit being a shinobi too."

"What?"

"Same," Akio smiles lopsidedly at Naruto's stunned expression. "Though, only for the first part. I won't quit being a shinobi since someone has to provide the funds for Rie's book obsession."

"I'll probably have to pitch in too," Eiji exhales an exaggerated sigh. "We know Rie's got no impulse control when it comes to books."

"True. She bought another seven the other day despite having already bought four the day before."

"If I'm not wrong, she's got at least twenty unread—"

A guffaw cuts Akio off and the last of the tense atmosphere vanishes. Grinning, the older blond pats his teammate in the back before moving forward to hand out the freshly-made bentos he bought from Akimichi Chome's stall. Eiji, on the other hand, hands out the bottles of tea—green for Naruto and Akio, barley for Rie and himself. The two genin settle beside each other on Naruto's bed after that and they all wordlessly dug into their meals.

.

.

.

Afterwards, when the ones who aren't hospitalised are about to leave, Naruto gives them a simply apology and thanks.

"Just remember that there's always an option that does what you want while keeping yourself alive as well, eh?" Akio teases.

"I will, I will, 'ttebayo!"

"We'll come again tomorrow," Eiji informs before he and his teammate exit the room, letting the door shut behind them. He has a feeling—or to be more accurate, he _knows_ , considering how obviously Rie hesitated—that the younger genin would like to talk in private and solve whatever they were arguing about when he and Akio walked in on them.

"We need to help Rie work on lying," Akio sighs while making his way towards the nearest trashcan to throw away the remnants of their meal. It had hurt for a moment when the girl lied to him but then, he remembered that there are things ( _a memory flashes by—a spray of blood lunging towards him, the result of an easy acceptance of kunai into flesh and the whole-body tremors when a decapitated head rolls away_ ) he doesn't tell either his best friends as well. He'll be hypocritical older brother had he called Rie out the moment she tried to lie to him.

"Ah," his teammate agrees. There is a short pause before he adds, "I'm sure they'll come to you about whatever it is later."

Sheepishly, Akio scratches the back of his head. He has always thought that he was a smidge better than Chikako when it comes to hiding emotions but apparently, he isn't. "Was I that obvious?"

"Like an opened window." A corner of Eiji's mouth quirks up when the other boy heaves a dramatic sigh. He sees that Akio is about to say something when Rie enters his line of sight. Swiftly, he touches the blond's elbow and gestures with his eyes, and Akio's mouth snaps shut.

"Sorry about the wait!" Rie smiles at them. There is poorly concealed relief in her visage and the two boys can't help smiling at that.

'She really does need to work on lying,' Eiji thinks, faintly amused. He had thought that with her maturity and intelligence, and all the time she spends around Naruto, that she would be more adept at pretending. Glancing at his teammate who waves Rie's apology away with a playful edge to his smile, Eiji can't help but think the same for Akio. The rather blatant change in personality is an incredibly obvious tell, after all.

"Did you confess your crush to Naruto?"

"What?! I don't have a crush on him!" Rie squawks.

"Reeaaaaaally?" Akio laughs while hurrying down the corridor, expertly weaving around disgruntled medic nins and some higher ranking ninja-patients who are pretending not to pay attention to the genin.

"You're not going to go after him?" Eiji turns to the girl walking nonchalantly beside him.

"Running outside of an emergency in a hospital isn't proper," she answers. There is a brief pause before she adds, "I'll get him once we're outside, though."

Eji laughs.

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter was an immense pain to write. I wanted to better develop my characters and I wanted to add the Chunin Exams in here but it just didn't work out. So yeah, hence the birth of this super short chapter while the next one's gonna be incredibly long.

 ** _Yolea Irk's_** \- Thank you so much for being my first review on this fic! And I'm glad that you're enjoying WDBTS. I'll be starting my final year in university soon so my updates will probably still be sporadic, but I'll do my best to update more often!

Also, thank you to everyone else who followed and favourited this fic!


	4. IV

****I edited the previous chapter on the 12th of September so if you've read it before then, you might need to reread it? Or not. I just added some extra details and changed some lines, but the gist of it is still the same.**

* * *

 **IV**

The news of the upcoming Chunin Exams arrive a week after Naruto is released from the hospital and Rie is terrified. She avoids the concerned gazes of her sensei and friends, and trains harder than ever because the futures of many sits heavily on her shoulders. She knows she's not strong enough to change things on her own—not strong enough to be the one who ensures that Akio and Naruto will continue having bright lights waiting for them at the end of their tunnels. All she knows is the story of too many fictional characters and one ultimate future that unites them all. If she changes too much, her knowledge will be rendered entirely useless. If she changes too little, that one future may be the only future.

With heavy breaths, Rie adjusts her stance and begins the process of working through her katas again. She works through the Standard Academy Style (because while it's nothing but basics, it's actually good for endurance if you repeat the process long enough) and Shiroashi-sensei's family-specific ones (which get more and more complicated according to level but Rie is thankful that her sensei is kind enough to pass them down to the team). Team Two is traditionally a long-range combat team so short-range fights are more or less their downfall but since Shiroashi-sensei didn't allow them to only focus on their supposed specialisation, Team Two can still fight in close combat.

With one final high kick, Rie stops and wipes her sweat before taking out two kunai. Hatsuharu has already found a weapon he wants to specialize in and the yari gives him an even wider reach, what with his long limbs. Akira, on the other hand, has added throwing knives into her arsenal and her aim is as impeccable as ever. The only 'unique' thing Rie is bringing to the team is her knack for poisons but that's not good enough. She isn't a specialist and she needs to specialise in something. Or at least have a wider range in talents.

'I need to be stronger,' she mentally chants while aiming one kunai at the heart of the swaying dummy hanging from a tree's branch. The second after it launches from her hands, she aims the other kunai right above the larynx. The first kunai hits its target while the second one is a centimetre off. Frowning, she goes to retrieve them and repeats her earlier actions. It takes seven more tries before her second kunai stops missing its mark and after that, she adds another two that are aimed at the eyes. A kunai to the heart or a slash strong enough to decapitate is good for killing, but if she misses her mark or by some chance, the other person is still breathing, she can have them drown in their blood or blind them.

'It's you or them,' she flicks her wrist and another kunai flies. 'Your precious people or them.'

Naruto's sun-bright smile comes to Rie's mind, followed by Akio's mellower one. They are her best blond boys and they—

"You've need to eat lunch."

Her concentration breaks and the last kunai misses. Spinning around, Rie sees Eiji's muted smile. He has a towel in one hand and a furoshiki-wrapped bento—one definitely made by his skilled mother—in the other.

"Thank you," she smiles back, accepting the bento and the towel. "You're not training with your team?"

They both take a seat underneath the shade of the nearest tree before Eiji replies, "Sensei went to get us a light C Rank mission and told the team to meet her at the gates in two hours. Akio went to tell Naruto while I came to you."

"Ah," Rie nods while unwrapping the furoshiki. There has been a distinct shift in her friendship with Eiji ever since Naruto's hospitalization. He has taken it upon himself to seek her out more than he did before, providing her things and food for thought with just about every conversation. She doesn't know what kind of relationship they share now—whether it's one that's okay to be mutually dear and all-consuming like the one she shares with her blonds, or if it's simply the same one from the day they officially met, just a little closer.

( _"Your love suffocates," a familiar but unwelcomed voice whispers in her mind. She swats it away, but it never really leaves._ )

"I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now."

As soon as Rie hears that, she becomes wary. She knows well enough that those words usually lead to bad things. She has experienced them in the past and in her books. Clutching on to the bento, Rie braces herself but what Eiji tells her isn't something she expected.

"You're terrible at lying."

Her jaw drops a little and she stares, feeling a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"That day, at the hospital. You weren't telling the entire truth," Eiji expands. At once, Rie's mouth closes and her shoulders tense minutely. Seeing that, he can't help but let out a soft snort. "I'm not asking you for details. You can tell whoever you want, whenever you want. I'm just letting you know that you're terrible at lying."

"Oh," she blinks, still feeling confused. "Why?"

"If you're hiding things for a good reason, then you need to hide them better."

And while Rie still doesn't understand why Eiji is the one to approach her about this, he actually makes perfect sense. She's trying to protect her precious people and the inability to lie convincingly is one of the sure-fire ways to failure of doing so.

"…Do you have suggestions?"

"I can give you a list of your tells," he answers bluntly. "But, you'll have to work on them on your own. It'll be better if I'm as unaware as possible."

Rie nods. A liar is better when few know the truth, after all. She removes the cover of the bento and eats while Eiji enumerates the list to her. It's not incredibly long but some of the things she does without being entirely aware of them, can be pretty damning in certain situations.

"Thank you," she tells him once he's done. Her dark blue eyes shine with gratitude and her smile is small but warm. Eiji averts his gaze and lets out a noncommittal grunt that sounds a lot like Uchiha Sasuke's. There's a hint of red on his cheeks—a result of, as Rie thinks, not being used to being thanked with the amount of sincerity she has given. Naruto and Akio are her reasons for living and anyone who does anything to help her ensure that they both stay happy and alive, are worth every bit of her appreciation.

.

.

.

Naruto comes bounding to Rie tiny apartment at the standard genin residential area (when they make chunin, Naruto, Akio and Rie will move in together because they need the minimal salary a chunin can get before they have enough for a place appropriately large enough for three) the next day, waving a scroll in his hand and wearing an excited grin on his face.

"Rie-chan!" He lights up even further and pounces, going for a hug that sends them both sprawling on the floor.

"That hurts, Naruto-kun," she complains but doesn't shove him away. The blond continues to grin and leans closer. He nuzzles her neck, inhaling the prominent smells of dried sweat, ashes and earth, and the less prominent ones of green tea shampoo and rose soap. One of Iruka-sensei's lectures about using non-scented or herbal soaps and shampoos before and during missions comes into mind but Naruto pushes it away. Green tea and rose make up Rie while rice and citrus are Akio's. They are the scent of home and family. Of love and acceptance and forever.

"They sent a letter," he mumbles into her neck, causing shivers in Rie's spine. She's ticklish and both her blond boys know that very well.

"Zabuza and Haku?"

"Yeah." His grip on the scroll tightens. He remembers being overcome with relief after asking Kakashi-sensei what had happened to the Mist nin and his companion—remembers his legs giving out beneath him and being so happy that he cried in front of his team and sensei. That had caused some panic in them and that had made Naruto laugh.

"Akio?" Rie shifts, trying to get more comfortable. She knows from experience that they will remain in the position they are currently in until their other best friend arrives.

"On his way."

They don't talk anymore after that. Rie lifts a hand and strokes Naruto's hair. She thinks of that day in the hospital and the talk they had when Akio and Eiji gave them a moment. She had apologised to the jinchuuriki then, told him that her stories are really just stories but if he ever sees similarities between fiction and reality, and wishes to act and change, she will support him. It's another lie by omission but Rie thinks—she _hopes_ —she made the right choice.

'I'm not strong enough,' she reminds herself. 'They can't wait until I'm strong enough.'

There are two knocks on the door before it's pushed open. Rie's gaze flicks downwards and she sees a dirt-covered Akio smiling lethargically at them. She moves an arm—a wordless invitation and he closes the door. Quietly, he moves forward and flops ungracefully beside them. His head is supported by Rie's arm and Naruto's hand moves to rest across Akio's stomach.

"Training was hell today. Chikako wouldn't stop being mad at Eiji and my head still hurts from her screaming," the older blond tells the other two, earning huffs of laughter in return.

"At least your sensei isn't always late," the younger blond grumbles.

"We can train together sometime," Rie suggests. "Or a set a routine for each other that won't disrupt daily schedules."

"That's…that's actually a good idea," Akio notes. "My team trains with D-ranked missions slotted for most afternoons. We get a C-ranked mission once a week."

"Same, just without any C-ranks," Naruto lifts his head so they can see his pout. "Kakashi-sensei doesn't think we're ready for another one so soon."

"Considering what you did, I'd say that's smart of him," Rie says wryly. "I've team training in the mornings, D-ranks in the afternoon and joint training with Team Gai in the evening."

The two blonds wince at the mention of the green-jumpsuit-wearing jonin. Akio had met Team Gai earlier than the other two since he was in the same year as Tenten, Neji and Lee. Naruto, on the other hand, met them while searching for Rie. He had wanted to see if he could eat lunch with her and somehow gotten roped into training until sundown with both Team Gai and Team Two instead. It had been the most exhausting day of his life.

"We get a random day off each week and a C-rank mission on the day after the day-off," Rie continues, not noticing their winces. "If we finish that quick, we get more training or D-ranks."

There is a pause and this time, she notices Akio's second wince. "Maybe we should write all that down and figure out something later?"

"Yes, please, thanks," he replies before shifting his gaze to Naruto. "So, what did you want to share with us today?"

Instantly, the younger blond brightens. He sits up and moves aside, careful to not hurt Rie. "I got a letter from Haku and Zabuza!"

"Did they find her? Terumi Mei?" Akio sits up as well, though with some trouble due to his protesting muscles. On the second day of Naruto's hospitalization, the younger boy had explained the details of his mission to the Land of Waves to his best friends. Eiji hadn't been there, unable to visit due to his mother requiring his help with their family-owned shop.

"I don't know," Naruto answers while unrolling the scroll. "I thought I'd wait for you two before I read the message."

And then, he proceeds to read out the contents. There are greetings for Akio and Rie as well, which surprises them a little, but the majority of the letter is directed at Naruto (as it should). Through a seemingly innocuous retelling of Kiri's myths and legends (which makes Rie think that she'll get along incredibly well with Haku should she ever meet him), they learn that the unlikely duo of Isonade (Zabuza) and Amefurikozo (Haku) have managed to meet up with the Onamazu (Terumi Mei). That plans are going well. That Onamazu is wary of Isonade but treats Amefurikozo kindly. The letter ends with Amefurikozo's hopes that he and Isonade will be able to call a place 'home' soon, which causes a twinge in Rie's heart. Her blond boys say nothing when she reaches out and holds their hand. Instead, they give her a gentle squeeze, showing that they understand.

They are family and they are each other's home.

.

.

.

Rie barely manages to swallow her pained gasp when Hatsuharu aims another kick at her head. She ducks in time to land a jab at the pressure point right under his noise and ducks again when her teammate automatically tries to swipe at her with his kunai in one hand while the other goes up to cradle his face.

"Fuck, Rie!" Hatsuharu staggers back with tears filling his hazel eyes. He lets his teammate pin him onto the ground and hears their sensei declare her the winner of their spar soon after. He's not sorry that he lost because this means that he gets to rest a bit while Rie takes another (highly probable) battering from Akira.

"Another pressure point? Really?"

"Sorry," Rie apologises sheepishly. She returns her kunai to her pouch and gets on to her feet before extending a hand to the black-and-white-haired boy. His looks greatly resemble Senju Itama's but their personalities are too different for him to be a reincarnation. Though, that is only what Rie thinks because she knows she hasn't changed.

"I'm going to lie here for a moment," Hatsuharu waves her hand away. "You, on the other hand, should get ready for your next match."

The small grimace Rie makes earns a snort from him, though he aborts it as soon as another wave of pain hits. "You should try incorporating senbon if you're going to aim for more pressure points in the future. That'll give you better range and they're subtler too."

"A very good suggestion, Haru-chan," Shiroashi smiles widely with both her eyes closed and curved like inverted U's, hiding away her red irises. Her amber hair is swinging in its long braid and again, the thought that her sensei looks like a fox crosses Rie's mind. A white orb appears on Shiroashi's palm and an idea strikes Rie while she watches the jonin heal.

"Can you teach me, sensei?"

"Hmm? To use senbon or to heal?"

"Both, please."

A thoughtful expression appears and if this were still their first week together as a team, Rie would've braced herself for rejection. But, Team Two's sensei loves to teach. She never denies a request from her students (as long as they're reasonable) and she always does her best to steer them to the right direction. She's also attentive and kind and she's who Rie aspires to be as a shinobi.

"I can teach you the basics for iryo ninjutsu, but it'll be better for you to be trained under a medic-nin so we can go and sign you up for that later. As for senbon, we'll start that tomorrow, yes?"

"Yes, thank you sensei!" Rie bows.

"Ara ara, no need for that, Rie-chan. I'm always here to help all of you."

There's sadness cleverly hidden behind Shiroashi's cheer but her genin will never find it at their current level. She stands up and tells Hatsuharu to rest by the side-lines before motioning an energetic Akira over. When she starts the match, she looks just a little over her students' heads and at the Hokage Mountain instead.

 _(A pale hand holds hers underneath the moonlight, and in his glowing eyes, she sees love and a promise of forever. But, the world is at war and she knows that she will be the one who outlives him.)_

.

.

.

The morning sun creeps over the horizon like a silent shadow and Akio's nerves renew their dance. Rie is curled towards him on his left while Naruto is sprawled out like starfish on his right. He admires their ability to sleep so peacefully even though the first day of their Chunin Exams has officially begun. Wishes that he could remain calm enough to do the same, but right now, fear is winning over rationality. He knows that many genin have died trying to become chunin—knows that despite the advantages of the exams being held in their homeland, that living may not always be living and a life could very well become a death.

Akio twines his fingers with Rie's long hair (because she's a light sleeper and will wake up when disturbed) and holds Naruto's slack palm (because he's a heavy sleeper and it takes more than hand-holding to wake him up), and prays that his family won't be prematurely torn apart by death.

'We are family, we are each other's homes.'

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, small lie in the last A/N. I ended this chapter before it reached 3k, sorry! The place where I ended this chapter just seems really fitting? Ahahaha... Also, I'm starting university in a few days so guess what that means? Even _more_ sporadic updates! (I can confirm that I'll update at least once or twice a month, though?)

 ** _FlightofthePhoenix83_** \- Thanks so much for reviewing, and I'm so happy that you're excited about this fic! I hope my writing will continue meeting your expectations, and maybe exceed them as well (maybe), haha.

 _ **Darkjaden**_ \- Success! I'm glad that my writing is realistic enough to give you feels! (I hope that doesn't sound awkward/weird, urk) And, thank you so much for reviewing too!

Again, thank you to everyone else who followed and favourited this fic!


	5. V

**V**

Ten Konoha teams have been entered in the current Chunin Exams but only nine have passed Morino Ibiki's test—though, perhaps that can be attributed to Naruto's impromptu speech. Presently, the examinees are gathered outside of Training Ground and as discussed the night before, Naruto, Rie and Akio do not acknowledge each other. They pretend that they're strangers. That they've never spent years' worth of lunches eating under the same tree at the Academy, years going everywhere together to publicly affirm and reaffirm their allegiance to each other, years holding each other at night when loneliness, fear and darkness clung onto them like stubborn leeches.

Akio keeps his eyes forward, trained on the purple-haired tokubetsu jonin are she announces the rules and regulations. On his left, Chikako's lips are lightly pursed and her burnt orange eyes have steel in them—a visage of grim seriousness that Eiji echoes in his own way. Like Team Gai, they didn't participate in the previous two exams. The first they passed over because they weren't ready, the second because it was in Kumo. Peace treaty or not, they weren't going to step into a (still) hostile territory just for an exam that already has a fifty-fifty chance of costing their lives.

Once the proctor of the second exam finishes her explanation, Team Hisoka heads to the tent to hand in their papers. They exchange their filled forms for a heaven scroll—which Chikako quickly exchanges with one of the storage scrolls she uses to hold her dark brown hair up. The two boys used to think that her favoured hairstyle (a coiffure geishas favour) was ridiculous for a shinobi, but they were proved otherwise once she revealed her secrets.

"Gate Eight," one of the chunin manning the booth tells them before they leave.

'Fate,' Akio thinks. He doesn't know how 'unmei' is related to 'hachi' but Rie came up with the code when they were still kids playing ninja. (Her brain moves in ways he doesn't think he can ever properly decipher—a probable result of all those books she reads.) He lowers his head and looks around for his best friends behind the safety of his fringe. Rei's team is the closest to the booth while Naruto's is about five teams back. Akio wants to share his location with them but he knows that he shouldn't.

'We don't know each other,' he reminds himself. 'We're strangers. Strangers. Strangers.'

.

.

.

Rie looks up at Gate 30 and thinks, 'Sanshi. Yamashita for mountain tongue.' She knows for a fact that her team is in between of the latest generation of Ino-Shika-Cho and Kabuto's team. However, as tempting it is to do way with the latter right now, she's still weak. Kabuto wouldn't let Orochimaru's plans be ruined either—not when they're already so close.

There's also the worrying fact that Orochimaru will head straight for Team Seven. She can't interfere because she doesn't know the exact location of Gate 12—and it's not like she can be faster than the Snake Sannin either. Her teammates are also a problem. Hatsuharu would go with the flow but he'll question things. Akira, on the other hand, will be outright defiant and demand answers.

'It's not a sure thing that my team and Akio's will survive too.' Team Seven will make it. They will survive everything until the end, but there has never been a mention or a sighting of their Team Two or a Team Hisoka. Not even one little glimpse of their supposed profiles.

Rie touches the storage seal sown onto the lining of her yukata. Shiroashi-sensei has helpfully supplied her and her teammates with two storage seals each (they're too expensive for genin, especially the ones that can be readily attached elsewhere) before the exam and right now, their earth scroll is residing inside one of Rie's.

Overhead, a flock of crows fly past their heads and into the Forest of Death. Rie wonders if they are Uchiha Itachi's, though that thought is cut short by the instructor assigned to Gate 30. The chunin lifts his gaze away from this wristwatch before proceeding to unlock the gates. There's only a moment's pause before he pushes it opened and Team Two runs.

"The team at Gate 31 has a heaven scroll," Akira informs as she jumps onto another branch. "They're the team from Taki."

"Taki, huh? They're generally inclined towards water and earth releases," Hatsuharu frowns slightly. "It'll be troublesome if the team has both. None of us can use lightning release to counter earth and my fire release is useless against water."

At the sight of Akira's scowl, Rie hurries to inject, "Did you notice any other team with the heaven scroll, Azahara-san?"

"…The one at Gate 29 has a heaven scroll too but they're an older Konoha team."

'Ah, that explains why she mentioned 31 first,' Rie nods. "Would it be better if we went for them instead, Omori-san?"

"Konoha's a melting pot of releases, we can never be sure of what we'll get. The chances of us having an element of surprise when it comes to skills may be lower too." Hatsuharu's frown deepens. "Taki, it is. You leading, Azahara?"

"Obviously," Akira retorts. "Now, hurry."

"Haaaaaai."

.

.

.

Chikako bites back a scream as a kunai embeds itself into her arm and launches a series of vicious kicks in retaliation. She didn't become a kunoichi just to die before making chunin—didn't go against her soft-spoken mother's pleas and gentle father's wishes for her to simply remain a civilian and to help with the family business just to fail right now. The brunette grits her teeth and continues to move. She might bleed herself dry but right now, she has to kill.

The Ame nin manages to dodge most of her attacks but the last kick lands and it sends him flying into a tree. Chikako doesn't give him a chance to gather his bearings. Instead, she immediately descends upon him and paints a gaping slice of red on his throat.

"Fūton: Reppūshō!"

"Katon: Endan!"

Her teammates call out simultaneously and Chikako braces herself for the burst of fiery wind. There are two interrupted screams and then, a slightly disconcerting silence punctuated by heavy breathing and the sounds of nature.

"Scroll?" she asks while pulling out a roll of bandages so she can tend to her still-bleeding wound. The smell of burnt human flesh will always be nauseating but she can be professional. There's no way that she'll let herself be seen as any less than that when Eiji and Akio aren't as well.

"Earth," Akio answers, showing the scroll they've won. She gives a nod in response and her blond teammate seals it away. They aren't going to be the kind of idiots who lets one lone individual keep both of the means of winning.

"Will the sun still be in the sky?" There's a calculative gleam in Eiji's golden eyes as he examines his two teammates. Chikako's current state is the worst out of all three of them, but they can still continue forward.

"As long as the day remains," Chikako answers while knotting the end of the bandage. It's a temporary fix that she hopes will hold because they won't be stopping long enough for her to stitch her wound up anytime soon.

Then, Akio finishes, "And the fire still burns, it will."

Three nods of agreement and Team Hisoka leaps onto the branches. They will head straight for the tower and as long as their journey is relatively safe, they will not rest.

.

.

.

'The human flesh is incredibly forgiving.'

Almost idly, the thought crosses Rie's mind as she watches Akira behead a Taki boy her physical age. They haven't killed anyone before but Akira already has this cold and hardened sheen in her mud brown eyes. It contrasts with her victorious snarl of a grin—and that sends a shiver down Rie's spine.

A hand suddenly comes down onto her shoulder and it takes every ounce of her control to not figuratively jump out of her skin.

"Vicious," Hatsuharu murmurs into her ear.

"Yes," she agrees, turning her head just a little so she can keep an eye on both of her teammates. There's an angry bruise forming on Hatsuharu's cheek but he waves her hand away when she tries to heal it.

"Save your chakra," he says. "If we have sufficient time before the third part, you can heal it."

"No serious wounds?"

"None."

"What about—"

"We're all still in fighting condition," Akira interjects while handing the heaven scroll over to their only male teammate. There's at least a fifty-percent chance that their opponents would go straight for Akira, thinking that she has both scrolls because of her obvious physical strength and viciousness. Should they go for Hatsuharu, they would have to circumvent his extended reach. Should they go for Rie, they would have to face the danger of having their flesh melted off.

( _The squirrel's scream is a horrible thing and Rie regrets not killing it first. She forces her hands to remain still by her sides and the swallows the bile back down her throat while the flesh melts off the dying squirrel's bones. Acid attacks aren't common here but at one point in her past, they were._

 _'For them,' she reminds herself, blinking away tears. 'For them.')_

"Let's go," Akira commands. They fall back into the manji formation and run.

* * *

 **A/N** : Hello everyone! Even though I've mentioned before that my updates will be sporadic, I'm still terribly sorry it took me forever to do so. My 'wonderful' country decided to be the second one in the whole world to block FFnet and it's a headache trying to update because of that. Nevertheless, I'm definitely still writing and I'll definitely update when the internet decides to bless me.

On a different note, I initially intended to finish the Chunin Exams in this chapter but I realized just how horrendous I am at fight scenes and at smooth transitioning. So yeah, here's this brief chapter meant as an attempt for the aforesaid 'smooth transitioning' to the next part of the Chunin Exams OTL

Also, **_Lemini_** \- Thank you for your review and for reading this fic! -sparkles-

 ** _Yuki Suou_** __\- I...Erm, well, I'm not sure if I should reveal things about the sensei here (in this section and in this whole fic), but she's actually an OC from an old _Naruto_ fic of mine and I may or may not rework and finish that fic and post it on FFnet in the future. Though, as you've probably already guessed, she has survived one of the Shinobi Wars but her lover didn't...and that's really the most I can reveal about her without spoiling my future/not-future fic, ahaha...And about Naruto ever questioning the stories, you'll find out in a few chapters! -hearts-

Thanks to everyone else for the follows and favourites too!


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